THE MEANING OF 'THE DARK NIGHT'

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When Christ was crucified, the New Testament tells us, the whole earth was covered in darkness from noon until three in the afternoon. If we take the story internally, this is the ‘dark night of the soul’ -- the final purification and pardoning of the initiate before merging back with the Absolute.

Similarly, as the Israelites prepared to leave ‘Egypt’ [a state of psychological enslavement to the realm of matter and illusion] in the Hebrew story, this is where the people were told to remain passive and ready within the house (symbolically, a deep meditative state), while the Angel of Death swept through the land and slaughtered the ‘first-born’ of Egypt. In yet another story, the dark night is where Jericho [the final “attachment”] had to be painfully crushed, as the seven days of Creation were undone by seven days of Destruction.

The Gospels tell us little of what Jesus went through during these three long hours of darkness, so we have to rely on what other Christian mystics have revealed. According to Meister Eckhart, the 15th century Dominican mystic, during the ‘dark night’ it seems as though God has deliberately withdrawn his presence, “as if there were a wall between Him and us.” According to St. John of the Cross, the 16th century Spanish Carmelite mystic (who coined the phrase ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ in his famous poem and commentary), what the anguished soul feels most deeply “is the conviction that God had abandoned it.” This is a time when “the soul is conscious of a profound emptiness in itself.… It sees itself in the midst of the opposite evils, miserable imperfections, dryness and emptiness of the understanding, and abandonment of the spirit in darkness.”

Why would this happen? Why would God abandon the initiate in this high place near the end of the path? (“O God, why hast thou forsaken me?")

It is because at this immeasurably high place in the soul’s journey ‘home’, all emotional attachment to the world, to the ‘good’ as well as to the ‘bad’, must be given up. The soul must be firm and resolute, with no sentimentality, and it must completely detach itself from everything in its previous life.

The dark night of the soul is the way that God cures the soul of its tendency to cling to spiritual joys. Even these must be given up! Everything must die and dissipate (but not until this place in the quest), even the pleasures of the contemplative and spiritual life, even one’s gratitude for the bliss of Divine Light. There cannot be the slightest sweetness left, for this would continue to separate the soul from God as it identifies with its own rapture. Thus, in anguish and in pain, the soul must undergo this ultimate break with the life of illusion, and be completely torn away from the realm of materiality. The soul must have nothing, it must become nothing, so that it can have and be only God. Finally, completely unattached, completely unencumbered, the soul is free: free to love, free to be.

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THE LEGEND OF ABRAHAM AND THE FURNACE OF FIRE

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 Legends and tales from the Oral Tradition of ancient Israel, which are not found in the written Bible but which tradition says were transmitted to Moses orally by God during his forty days on Mt. Sinai, have been preserved in the Talmud and in various other religious writings -- including the Zohar, which is a text of Kabbalistic lore and teaching.

According to one of these legends, Abraham (originally named Abram) was born in the kingdom of Nimrod -- variously described as a fallen angel, the architect of the Tower of Babel, and the personification of rebellion and pride.

Nimrod was an astrologer, and he foresaw in the stars that a child was about to be born who would overthrow him and put an end to his idolatrous religion in which he had proclaimed himself the chief god. So he ordered the slaughter of all male newborns in his kingdom, and no less than seventy thousand children were murdered.

But the pregnant Emtelai, who was the wife of Terah (one of the king’s counselors), fled from the city and wandered through the desert until she found a cave in which to hide. The next day, she gave birth to a son, Abram. Knowing that to bring him home would mean his death, she tearfully wrapped him in a blanket and departed, saying, “May God be with you.”

When she was gone, God sent the angel Gabriel to the cave, and caused milk to flow through Gabriel’s finger to feed the child.

When Abram was but ten days old, he could walk and speak. He then left the cave, and when he looked up he saw the stars: he believed that they must be gods, so he resolved to worship them. But then the stars went down and disappeared, and he realized they were not gods at all. Then the sun arose, and Abram thought that this must be god: but then the sun set and he realized, “this is no god”. The same thing happened when he watched the moon arise and vanish. Somewhere, he thought, a true God must exist Who set all these other heavenly bodies into motion. Gabriel then appeared to him, and revealed the Truth. Abram prostrated himself, and prayed.

At about this time, Emtelai returned to the cave in misery to bury her son. When she could not find him she wept bitterly, believing that his little body had become prey for lions and wolves. But when she walked out to the edge of the valley, she found Abram. “My son,” she exclaimed, “how you have grown! But twenty days old and you can walk and talk!” Abram explained to her that nothing is beyond the power of the great, powerful, and ever-living God, Who sees all and does all. “My son,” his mother asked in astonishment, “is there a God greater than Nimrod?” Yes, he told her, the God of Heaven and Earth, and He is even the God of the foolish Nimrod. “Now go”, he said, “and bring this message to him.”

She told her story to Terah who brought it to the king. When Nimrod heard the tale, he was seized with fear and asked his counselors what he should do. But when they heard the story, they were too horror-struck to speak. At that moment, Satan appeared in human form and cast himself before the king. When asked to speak he said, “Why be terrified of a small child? Send your army to fetch him, and make him your slave.”

The army was sent, but Gabriel placed a storm of thick, black clouds between Abram and the assailants, and they all fled in fear back to Nimrod, and together with their terrified king they all ran away to Babylon (a name which, like ‘Babel’, means confusion, in the sense of a chaotic mixture and dilution of sacred principles). At God’s command, Abram then went to Babylon on his own, on a mission to preach the Oneness of God.

The king soon sent for him, and he appeared before Nimrod with his father, Terah. “Nimrod,” Abram began, “you contemptible wretch, who denies the true God.” As he continued to speak, the idols in the palace fell on their faces -- and so too did Nimrod. At first, Nimrod begged for mercy and said, “Verily, the God of Abram is a great and powerful God, the King of Kings!” But soon his pride and arrogance returned, and he ordered Abram thrown into prison and given no bread or water.

Into this dungeon, however, God again sent Gabriel who provided him with fresh water and food.

After a year’s time, Nimrod ordered his people to come to the prison and see the evidence of his superior power. But when the dungeon was opened, there was Abram still alive! “Food and drink have been bestowed on me by the Lord Who is over all things,” Abram said in front of all the gathered people, “the Lord Who alone does wonders.”

The furious Nimrod then had him thrown back into the dungeon and he ordered his people to spend forty days gathering wood and building a gigantic furnace. When all the wood was set on fire, the flames leapt to the skies and Nimrod ordered Abram to be brought forth. First the royal executioner, and then various princes one after another, were ordered to take hold of Abram and throw him into the furnace. But with each such attempt flames would shoot forth from the furnace and consume whoever laid their hands upon the prisoner.

Then Satan appeared once again. He advised the king to let him build a great catapult, to set it safely out of range of the flames, and from there to fling Abram into the furnace. Abram was bound to the catapult, and Satan said to him secretly, “If you wish to be saved from the fiery furnace, all you have to do is to bow down to Nimrod.” But Abram responded, “May the Eternal One rebuke you, you foul and contemptible blasphemer.” Satan then departed from him. His mother came and begged him to save himself, but all he said was, “Water can quench Nimrod’s fire, but nothing can quench the fire of God.”

Abram was then cast into the furnace, but the logs burst forth into flower and gave forth fruit, and Nimrod and his people saw Abram sitting with the angels within this pleasure garden. “Witchcraft!” exclaimed Nimrod. But all his people in unison interjected, “No, it is the power of the God of Abram, the only living God, and we acknowledge it!”

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JOCHEBED, MIRIAM, AND BITHIAH

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After many years of enslavement, the Israelites had greatly multiplied. Pharaoh worried that if a war were to break out with Egypt’s neighbors, the thousands of slaves might side with the enemy. So steps had to be taken to reduce their population. Also, Pharaoh had been warned by his astrologers that a child who would free the Hebrews and devastate Egypt was about to be born. So he ordered the two Hebrew Midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all the male babies at birth.

Shiphrah, according to some stories, was another name for Jochebed. Puah was her daughter, also called Miriam. The midwives disobeyed Pharaoh’s order. So Pharaoh gave a new order that every male baby was to be thrown into the Nile River. Jochebed’s husband, an important Israelite leader, ordered the men to leave their wives, rather than having babies that would be slaughtered. But his daughter Miriam reminded him that at least Pharaoh’s command only applied to males, and who could know whether the edict would even be enforceable. Her father’s decision, however, would shut the door to life on all Hebrew children and would definitely be enforced. But it was God’s Will that the Hebrews ‘be fruitful and multiply’, and who could say what His divine plan might be or how these events might play out. Her father agreed and rescinded his order.

Jochebed soon conceived a son, and Miriam had a dream that this child would be the promised redeemer. Jochebed was able to bring her son to birth without being noticed because he was premature and no one was expecting him yet. When the time of his birth was expected and prying eyes were watching, she placed him in a tiny ark in the Nile to await the will of Providence. Miriam hid by the river to watch.

Soon Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, came to bathe in the Nile. She heard the cries of the child, saw the basket, and retrieved it. She took pity on him and said, “This must be a Hebrew child”. Miriam then appeared and convinced Pharaoh’s daughter to let her find a Hebrew nurse for the child. She fetched Jochebed. So Jochebed took her son and raised him. Later, when he had grown up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter who made him her son.

And thus Jochebed, whose name means ‘Divine Splendor’, cared for and raised her son for several years, teaching him to love God, bequeathing to him everything good and useful from Israel, in order to protect him from the negative influences of the Egyptian palace where he would have to go when he was twelve years old. But it is also said in the legends that Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah, whose name means ‘Daughter of God’, was an initiate of the Egyptian Mysteries and a devotee of God. She would bequeath to Moses everything that was good and useful from Egypt, and would later join the Israelites in the Exodus.

Thus was Moses brought into life, protected, raised, and prepared for his task, by a triad of Feminine power. Without the wisdom and foresight of his sister Miriam, the child would never have been born at all. Without the cleverness and love of his mother Jochebed, he would never have survived. And without the kindness and piety of his step-mother Bithiah, he would never have fulfilled his destiny.

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PURIFYING THE HEART

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Confession, for the purification of the heart, begins with rigorous self-examination, bringing all one’s emotional life up into the light of consciousness, so that we see precisely what we are. It includes ‘Contrition’, the genuine feeling of remorse for being less than what we know we ought to be. And for the serious initiate, Confession must also include ‘Reparation’: going back into the world and cleaning up Karma by making good whatever harm we may have caused others.

But the real point of Confession is not about ‘guilty ‘acts’. Here we are talking about the motivations underlying those acts, the internal emotional motivations which continue to stain the soul even after actions may have ceased. These negative qualities of the soul are often depicted as the ‘seven deadly sins’, the sources from which all sinful actions spring: feelings of self-importance and indifference to the needs of others (Pride); jealousy and resentment (Envy); a spiteful, violent temper (Wrath); passivity and irresponsibility (Sloth); a greedy and insatiable acquisitiveness (Avarice); a self-indulgent urge for meaningless pleasure (Gluttony); a craving for cruelty, possessiveness, and other distortions in our personal and sexual relationships (Lust).

As soon as Confession, Contrition, and Reparation are all complete, by the way, one can finally be forgiven by oneself.

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IS THERE A WAR ON RELIGION?

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President Obama recently agreed to a Health and Human Services ruling which says that under the new Health Care Act, Catholic institutions—including charities, hospitals and schools—will be required by law to provide and pay for insurance coverage (for their employees) that includes contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures. If they fail to do so, they will face heavy fines. Many Catholic Bishops and others are objecting to this law as an infringement of First Amendment, Freedom of Religion rights, and in certain quarters, as evidence of a “war on religion”. Many liberals (not all) are saying that what this does is protect and promote women’s health, and prevent the Catholic Church from imposing its will on non-Catholics.

First, let’s be clear about what the ruling does and doesn’t say. It does not say that Catholic Hospitals will be required to perform abortions, or that a Catholic doctor will be required to prescribe contraceptives, or any similar impositions. What it does say is that institutions with ties to the Catholic Church (but not a Church itself) – such as hospitals, colleges, and charitable agencies – that employ non-Catholics as well as Catholics, and that accept federal or state funds, must follow the same rules as other organizations when it comes to providing health care benefits for their employees. In other words, if a non-Catholic person (or for that matter, a Catholic person who does not agree with the anti-contraceptive beliefs of the Catholic Church) were to get a job at a Catholic Hospital as a secretary, or an orderly, or a surgeon, or a ticket-taker in the garage, and that person wanted to go to their physician (not the Catholic hospital itself) and get a prescription for birth control pills, and then went to their local pharmacy to pick up the prescription, their insurance policy – like insurance policies everywhere else – would cover the cost.

Now there is an issue here, a legitimate issue, but let’s look at it without raving about ‘wars on religion’, or ‘wars on Catholics’, or ‘the end of religious freedom in America’, or other sensationalism and negative rabble-rousing.

The issue is this: If we grant special privileges to Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, etc,(which I believe is perfectly Constitutional and perfectly fine), the question arises about whether other organizations or businesses that are somehow related to the religious institution are also entitled to these same special privileges (i.e., regarding taxes, complying with laws and regulations, etc.).

Now there are obvious answers here when the related-organization is very close to, or very far from, the institution itself. For instance, a Sunday School in the basement of a Church is not a ‘Church’, it’s an educational activity – but clearly, this is a close enough association with the Church that I doubt anyone would seriously advocate for refusing it the same privileges as the Church itself. At the other extreme, there may be a drugstore in town which is often visited by Catholic members of the Church, but I doubt anyone would seriously advocate that the presence of Catholic customers means that the store should not be allowed to sell condoms. These are obvious and simple extremes: What about this situation which is somewhere in between?

The question here is whether the institutions covered by this regulation – Catholic Hospitals, Schools, Colleges, Charitable Agencies, etc. – are far enough removed from the Church itself as to be distinct, or so tightly connected as to be a virtual part of the Church. It has usually been assumed that such groups are entitled to the same privileges as a Church. But this historical precedent, while carrying weight, is not necessarily correct. There have always been arguments to the contrary. Laws and rules evolve, and must evolve as technology and society evolve, so this precedent should be considered but not deemed conclusive. There is also the issue of whether these organizations, by accepting government funds, are self-defining themselves as public, rather than religious, endeavors. So, in legal terms, the issue comes down to this: is the regulation, including its exemptions, crafted too narrowly?

I believe this is a fair question. People of good will are on both sides. I am sick to death of hearing all the name-calling and nasty personal accusations that are made when people disagree (whether on this issue or so many others). Frankly, I’m not yet sure where I stand on this, I’m very interested in hearing intelligent opposing arguments, and I’m looking forward to hearing a carefully considered and soundly reasoned opinion from the courts (I’m fairly sure this will get there). In the meantime, I find myself partly persuaded by sentiments of despair about government bureaucracy overly imposing itself, and many considerations of freedom of religion. But I’m also partly persuaded by arguments for fairness and equality in our treatment of employees, and by issues of women’s rights and health.

And I do think it worth remembering, when politicians or others claim that this is a unique case in our history that proves the Administration is conducting a ‘war on Catholics’ or other such drivel, that despite their religious consciences Mormons are not allowed to engage in polygamy, Christian Scientists are not allowed to deny medical attention to their dying children, Quakers are not allowed to deduct taxes that might go toward warfare, Rastafarians are not allowed to use illegal drugs in their religious ceremonies, and Atheists are not allowed to deduct from their taxes monies that might be used to help fund a Catholic hospital. Freedom to hold one’s own religious beliefs and convictions – which comes from the second clause of the First Amendment – has always been balanced by restrictions against imposing one’s beliefs on others – which comes from the first clause of that same First Amendment. Achieving this balance is a difficult and fascinating proposition that must be pursued intelligently and certainly can be pursued civilly.

What are your views?

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A MEDITATIVE BEGINNING

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(Today's Post is a Guest Post from blisslotus.com)

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I often share with others the beauty, inner peace and opportunity for growth that daily Meditation has opened up in my life. Both medical and holistic professionals agree that taking on a life of focus, clarity and calm has health benefits and personal introspective opportunities that few other daily activities can create for you. Newbies to Meditation may not yet understand how to reap the rewards and begin to realize a Meditative state. Here are some valuable starter tools one could use to learn how to Meditate and nurture the development in concentration and clarity.

The Quiet Room

Nothing is more important to your Meditation than the ambience of the room. Finding a distraction free area, one that is clutter free and peaceful can be the key to setting the tone to your mental and physical relaxation. For some this is their personal bedroom, for others it could be the basement. As long as there is no cell phone, no television and certainly no computer or work then you can pretty much meditate anywhere in your home.

Lighting is important to set the mood as well. Soft light, candles or even a completely darkened room all bring about the body’s natural tranquil setting readying it for the meditation about to begin. Often music, ambient noise or nature sounds are used to enhance the meditative experience. There are plenty of options available online or in stores for meditation audio. Music has been proven to calm the brainwaves and mute the thought process that brings about disruption in the mind.

Body Posture

Most meditation takes place in the seated position. With legs under you or sitting cross-legged, imagine your back is a straight tree stump coming out of the ground. You may place a pillow under your hips if this helps to maintain that upright posture. Position is important as it helps you focus, breathe and reach the body’s fullest potential. Some meditators find that laying on a mat, back straight and legs straight is a more comfortable position to begin. Either way is acceptable as this is your experience and there is no exact, ‘right’ way. Hands can lay comfortably at your sides or resting on your knees. Focus is usually best achieved with eyes closed gently. Now you are ready to initiate the process of meditation.

Breathing

Traditionally we breathe completely through our noses when we are in a relaxed state. During meditation we inhale through our nose, but then exhale through our mouths. This deeper type of breathing calms the body quicker and allows us the ability to focus on our breathing instead of our thoughts.

Begin by taking in one deep nasal breath. Think a positive thought on your inhalation – about your family, your friends, a favorite vacation spot, anything that makes you happy. Then, on the exhalation through your mouth, blow out a negative thought – anger towards someone, feelings of being judged, etc. Continue this breathing process for one to two minutes or until you feel you have a good flow. Then you may begin resuming normal breaths. 

Focal Points and Mantras

Both experienced and new Meditators can benefit from a focal point. A focal point can be something as simple as a candle’s flicker or something in your mind that you visualize. Picturing a star twinkling in a sky of darkness, a wave on the ocean over and over – anything that busies your thoughts and keeps you motivated in your meditation. Some add a mantra to their focal point, repeating a phrase or sound over and over again. There is no exact phrase to repeat, but some suggestions are “I am worth it” or “I am one with my universe” or the simple, “Om”. The point of both focal points and mantras are to maintain that effort and concentration to allow your body the natural process of complete and utter relaxation. Your thoughts do not have hold of you during a meditation, you become one with mind, body and soul.

 

Accepting Thoughts and Completing the Meditation

During your meditation you may start to wander. Shopping lists, work matters or stress may try to enter and take hold. Just observe your thoughts, let them pass on by and don’t give them a moment to bother you. Refocus on your breathing and your focal point or mantra so you can regain your meditative composure.

Once you have completed your meditation and feel that you are ready to accept and give back what it has given to you, take in your final whole breath. Slowly open your eyes and readjust yourself to your surroundings. Rise from your position, welcome in the unity and pay it forward.

Peace and Blessings.

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For more information and other guides on how to meditate or grow in your meditative experiences, you can visit www.blisslotus.com. Content on this site was provided by Sara Kutliroff, a motivational and holistic writer who can be reached via her blog at www.kutliroffpages.blogspot.com.

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THE WISDOM OF SOCRATES

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Socrates was born in 469 B.C., in the early years of Pericles’ rule. Socrates, like all Athenian children, studied music, Homer’s poetry, and gymnastics. He also acquired some knowledge of geometry and astronomy, and became fascinated with the theories of Thales and others on the nature of matter. So with his friend Chaerephon, he began studying the natural science of his day.

But this interest in science did not last very long for two reasons:

 *  First, it all just seemed like a lot of idle speculation, full of disagreements and contradictions, and incapable of proof.

  

   *   Second, it was useless -- useless, that is, for what seemed to Socrates to be the chief and proper concerns of a human being: knowledge of oneself and the right way to live. Socrates only wanted to discuss human concerns -- what makes people good as individuals and citizens.

Chaerephon was so impressed with his friend’s intelligence that he went to the Oracle at Delphi and asked if there was anyone as wise as Socrates. The prophetess, whose words were supposed to be those of Apollo himself, replied that no one was wiser than he. When Chaerephon reported this to Socrates, Socrates was troubled. “What can the god mean? What is the interpretation of this riddle? For I know that I have no wisdom, small or great. What can he mean when he says that I am the wisest of men? And yet he is a god and cannot lie.”

     

So Socrates decided to search for someone who really did have some wisdom, and then to go back to the Oracle at Delphi and confront Apollo, hoping to learn the answer to this riddle. “Accordingly”, he later reported with priceless irony, humor, and much contemporary relevance, “I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom -- his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination -- and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and wiser still by himself; and I went and tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me.“ So Socrates left, thinking to himself that “although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is -- for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him.”

After this, Socrates went on questioning others who had pretensions to wisdom. He spoke with politicians, he spoke with poets, he spoke with merchants, but always with the same results. He was aware of the enmity he was continually provoking, but he felt that this was a necessary task which had been set for him by the divine Apollo himself. At last, he concluded that the riddle which the oracle had given to Chaerephon really meant that he, Socrates, who had no wisdom at all, was nonetheless as wise as anyone else on earth -- since only God is wise, and what people think of as wisdom means nothing.

Thus began Socrates’ mission of relentlessly asking people questions, listening to their answers, and accepting no ideas or opinions without examining them fully, as a means of eliciting self-knowledge and a deeper understanding of truth and virtue. Eventually, he so annoyed the complacent authorities of Athens, that at the age of seventy they condemned him to death on trumped up charges of impiety and corrupting the youth of the city. His allegedly ‘corrupting activities‘, as demonstrated in Plato’s Dialogues, consisted of a method of self-inquiry, a path toward ever increasing self-awareness, because he knew that self-knowledge is the necessary first step in the perfection of the soul. Socrates, as a teacher, guided his pupils through their self-examination by asking them pointed questions and probing their answers with them, leaving no stone unturned or unquestioned.

He did not teach a ‘belief system’. Rather, he taught them a method of psychological self-discovery, a method for asking questions and verifying truth for themselves.

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